gala

On July 20th, 1,200 guests joined in an evening honoring GLIDE’s 50-year San Francisco legacy in City View at the METREON. Attendees helped raise funds for GLIDE’s programs to continue providing innovative and comprehensive services to the poor and marginalized in the San Francisco community.

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is the oldest conservatory in the American West. Since founded in 1917, it has earned an international reputation for producing musicians of the highest caliber. On April 24, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Gala was celebrated in honor of Colin Murdoch’s 20th anniversary as the school’s president.

San Francisco is stuffed with innovative choreographers who need a place to show off their mad talent. Luckily, West Wave Dance Festival is fond of displaying mad talent, so offers local choreographers an opportunity to create work without the drain of paying for it. Celebrating their 20th anniversary with a silent auction and tons of wine, West Wave’s gala at Z Space features dance by choreographers like Amy Seiwert, Robert Moses, and Maurya Kerr.

The Merola Opera Program, the prestigious opera training program associated with the San Francisco Opera, held its annual Spring Benefit on Saturday April 30 at the St. Regis San Francisco. The evening began with a silent auction featuring fine wines and a number of unique dining and entertainment experiences. While they bid, guests were invited to indulge in a variety of culinary delights and cocktails, particularly a signature cocktail provided by Domaine Chandon. After the auction, the San Francisco Opera Adler fellows, all of whom are alumni of the Merola Opera Program, entertained guests in the ballroom. A lush dessert reception followed the concert and allowed guests to mingle with the Adler Fellows.

If there's any organization that tries to value the lives of women around the world, I.M.O.W. does just that. Standing for "International Museum of Women," this social change museum inspires global action by amplifying the voices of women worldwide through online exhibitions, history, arts, and cultural programs that make the community.

It ain't easy looking as good at 75 as the SF MoMA does, and, appropriately, the elegant museum is celebrating its third quarter-century in the art world with its most lavish birthday party yet on Friday, May 14. While access to the ultra-exclusive rooftop dinner is sold out, tickets for the Birthday Bash are still hot. Get them for $150 ($125 if you're a member) or for FREE during a giveaway to our newsletter subscribers (which you can sign up for on 7x7.com).

One of the most common questions I get right around this time—the calm before the gala season storm—is “Where should I go shopping in San Francisco for a party dress?” And with all the back-to-back events that hit in September and October, the ladies are typically looking to avoid the horror of all fashion horrors: the dreaded McFrock that shows up all over town on every other gal the same night. Other than the usual department store suspects, where else can you shop on short notice for that next formal affair?